Hans Jansen, KWPN Breeder of the Year 2011, Passed Away

Breeding

KWPN

Hans Jansen, the KWPN Breeder of the Year 2011, has passed away. He was 85 years old.

Jansen lived in Joppe, The Netherlands, and set up an exceptional dressage horse breeding programme. Together with his wife Grietje Blanken he bred five licensed stallions, including international Grand Prix horses Wynton and Four Legends, as well as as stallions Chagall D&R, Bretton Woods, and Gaudi. He also bred the 2022 KWPN mare champion Ostara.

Sourced in Germany, Success with KWPN

After his working as an orthodontist in Apeldoorn, Hans devoted himself entirely to breeding. The Jansen couple traveled to learn more about breeding, and due to their preference for dressage horses, they ended up in Germany in the early 1990s, where dressage breeding was thriving.

At the auction in Vechta, Germany, with a two-year interval, they purchased the mares Aktionella and Annabel, the founders of their breeding program. Until last year, he was still actively involved in the breeding program at Stal Joppe; this will now be continued by his daughter Welmoed.

Four Legends in Aachen

Four Legends at the 2026 World Championships

Hans was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma not long ago, but was determined to go to the extreme to recover. He was still busy discussing treatment options with his family. He refused to give up and wanted to witness future breeding successes.

Fortunately, he was still able to closely follow the successes of Four Legends at the World Championship in Aachen. Sadly, he became unexpectedly and seriously ill last weekend and passed away on Sunday morning. Hans leaves behind his wife Grietje, as well as his children Erik, Nienke, and Welmoed, their partners, and the grandchildren.

"May the beautiful memories remain and may he be remembered with love: it is not the path one walks, but the trail one leaves behind," the KWPN society wrote.